Modern masterpieces

Two sculptures on the UMR campus that celebrate the passage of time – Stonehenge and the Millennium Arch – were recently joined by MSM-UMR 20th Century, a new mural by Jack Guth, CE’50, that portrays scenes from campus history.

Unveiled at the Havener Center during this fall’s Homecoming, the 15-foot-long mural consists of five panels, each 6 feet high by 3 feet wide, that depict UMR campus life from the end of the 19th century to the beginning of the 21st. Each panel represents approximately two decades in time with activities and events overlapping.

“The mural is a composite visual history of the wonderful architectural designs of the representative buildings and campus landscaping; and the student activities, both social and academic,” Guth explains. “It attempts to portray the basic constant of the student spirit, the nostalgic image of MSM-UMR.”

The panels’ backgrounds incorporate UMR’s oldest structure, the Rolla Building, as well as Jackling Gymnasium, Parker Hall, the Chancellor’s Residence, the Havener Center, and a variety of other Rolla locations that students, faculty and alumni could nostalgically relate to, such as the railroad station and Scott Drug Store.

“The buildings overlooking each panel represented on and around the campus are memorable structures where students and faculty have spent most of their unforgettable time,” Guth adds.
This isn’t the first time Guth’s art has found a home on campus. Some of his earlier works can be seen in the alumni association offices and his fraternity, Sigma Nu.

Hidden treasures

UMR’s Curtis Laws Wilson Library at UMR holds more than books and journals. Einstein, a bronze bust cast by Rolla native Louis Smart, and St. Patrick, the patron saint of engineering (as conferred by UMR students), welcome students as they enter through the library’s doors. Once inside, visitors can examine Rockwell Kent’s Might … To Move Mountains, a masterwork that recalls UMR’s mining roots, and Astrolabe, an aluminum and epoxy sculpture by Thomas Schulte that is based on an ancient astronomical instrument and navigational tool.

The library isn’t the only place visitors can experience UMR’s unique visual arts. The Southwestern Bell Cultural Center on campus holds a permanent collection, including prints by Diego Rivera and R.C. Corman, as well as a gallery for temporary exhibits. Castleman Hall features Pipe Dudes, a mural by Leo Soisson; Cosmic Dance, a bronze sculpture by Louis Smart; and numerous lithographs by Edwina Sandys (granddaughter of Winston Churchill), the artist commissioned to create the Millennium Arch. Even Parker Hall features a bronze sculpture of the building’s namesake and a mural of MSM-UMR chancellors, painted by John Koenig

Around the Puck

Thanks to an investment from the University of Missouri System, major gifts from industry partners and alumni support, S&T will break ground on the Advanced Construction and Materials Laboratory (ACML) on Oct. 12, during Homecoming weekend.

Seven alumni, including three Miner Alumni Association board members, have been named to Missouri S&T’s sesquicentennial advisory committee. The group is made up of graduates, students, faculty, staff and community members who are involved in planning the university’s upcoming 150th anniversary celebration.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, complications during pregnancy or childbirth affect more than 50,000 women annually, and about 700 of them die every year. Steve Corns, associate professor of engineering management and systems engineering, is working with researchers from Phelps County Regional Medical Center through the Ozarks Biomedical Initiative to reduce […]

Missouri State Capitol muralist Thomas Hart Benton wrote in his memoir about being called into then-Gov. Guy Park’s office and told that a prominent St. Louis politician objected to Benton’s portrayal of black people, especially depictions of slavery.

According to Jessica Cundiff, assistant professor of psychological science at S&T, women who consider careers in the physical sciences, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields are deterred by stereotypes that impose barriers on the recruitment, retention and advancement of women in STEM.